Can't Be Ignored, 1/6. R.
Title: Can't Be Ignored
Series: #12 in Ready For The Siege
(#1 - Look Over Your Shoulder, #2 - Armed Up To The Teeth, #3 - Misery Inspires, #4 - Broken Underneath, #5 - Change Is Coming Soon, #6 - Lick Your Wounds, #7 - Bitter Sparks, #8 - Father's Will, #9 - To Feel Safe Again, #10 - Hit Your Prime, #11 - Open Your Eyes)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: R
Pairing: Loki/Natasha
Disclaimer: Not mine! Some comic backstory is incorporated into characterizations, but this is still primarily movieverse.
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-movie. Read the other stories before this one, because it does refer back to events in them. Additional warning for misogyny (internalized and society-driven) and references to torture.
Title and series title from "The Royal We" by Silversun Pickups
Special thanks to phoenixrising06/
romanovasledger for plotting and characterization discussion. :)
Summary: Rather than wait for a full scale attack to reach Asgard, they decide to make the first strike themselves.
One - Fall From Grace
Even Odin couldn't explain away the Chitauri energy staff, and reluctantly allowed Natasha to call in whoever she felt would be appropriate to help combat the silent invasion. He insisted on keeping her "appropriate help" as minimized as possible, however. Tony was awed by the appearance of the Observatory, actually remaining silent. Bruce seemed vaguely uncomfortable by the travel, not quite nauseous. Steve took in everything and gave Heimdall a friendly smile that was returned with a grave and respectful nod. Clint gaped a bit, then apparently pulled himself together and tried to look nonchalant. Jane had come along for the ride, and she grinned madly at the sight of the Observatory. "This looks fantastic!" she cried, bright eyes gleaming. "Can we do that again?"
Heimdall actually smiled at her. "Should you need to return to Midgard, simply ask."
The group was installed within the palace, not far from Natasha's suite. Bruce and Jane had been given copies of all Chitauri research done by SHIELD R&D, though Fury hadn't wanted to send along originals or any members of their science division. Jane probably volunteered to go in their place anyway; it was a great way to get further information for her Einstein-Rosen Bridge studies, as well as see Thor again. Natasha couldn't blame her for that.
Thor brought them all to a meeting room closer to his own suite. As soon as Sif, Fandral and Volstagg arrived, Loki surreptitiously cast a silencing spell over the entire room, and took a seat closest to the door. Natasha brought the map and reported all that she had seen and heard so far, as well as what she thought might be happening on Asgard. "Then it is treachery we must suspect," Sif said finally, her gaze falling onto Loki.
"Not from that quarter, no," Natasha corrected, seeing her line of sight.
"We never did get a good enough story of how the Chitauri decided to come to Earth," Bruce said, drumming his fingers on the table. "Just that they were the army meant to subjugate it."
Now nearly everyone's eyes were on Loki. Her gaze was stubbornly fixed on the wall behind them all, though a few of them noticed how she gripped her leg so hard her knuckles were white.
"Why are you staring at Lara?" Volstagg asked. "Is she not Midgardian as well?" Fandral and Thor frowned, also not understanding the significance.
"Not exactly," Clint said before Natasha could say anything. "Let's just put it this way... I remember some vague bits about the possession I was under before the Battle of New York." It was obvious he didn't want to be discussing it, but was willing to put aside his own comfort for the greater good. "Someone was pulling Loki's strings, as much as he was pulling mine. At times he looked sick and uncomfortable, in trances and looking afraid. I think Midgard was just a realm that got thrown under the bus to save his hide."
Loki dug her nails into her thigh even harder, her breathing becoming shallow. Natasha, Steve and Clint frowned at her, but Tony simply gave her a dubious look. Bruce let out a sigh. The others in the room didn't know that Loki was female now, and let the comments go, looking away from Loki at the door.
"So we're looking at someone bigger than the Chitauri, winding them up and watching them go on their merry way," Jane said.
Natasha saw how Loki tensed, and shifted in her seat slightly to make sure she had the others' attention. "I know you're working on your bridge with Bruce," she said to Jane. "Is there a way to track its energy signatures here? There are more magic items and enchanted things in this realm than on Earth. We'd have to isolate whatever signal the Chitauri are using."
Sif was still eyeing Loki strangely, as if contemplating what she was actually seeing. "What you speak of as energy signatures we do call magic. There are those with seidr. The Queen is most gifted, and may be persuaded to help with this task as well."
"Would you be able to do that?" Natasha asked. At Sif's querying expression, Natasha shrugged negligently. "She may not be willing to help if I ask her. I may have said some things she didn't really want to hear."
"Ah." Sif flashed her a smile. "You have a way of upsetting the natural order of things around here, Natasha."
"Sounds like a story or two I want to hear," Tony said, sounding interested for the first time. He looked up from the SHIELD reports. "There are salacious stories, aren't there? You're an Ambassador and living with royalty, so there has to be something. Come on, you can tell me. I love salacious stories."
Volstagg glowered at Tony. "Do not disparage the House of Odin, friend Stark. It's not becoming for one tasked with helping to save it from Outsiders."
Natasha caught Loki's reflexive twitch and wondered what exactly was setting her off. "In any case," she began, giving Tony an unamused glare, "that would take care of the seidr aspect of trying to track them. There isn't any consistent threat between the jarls that are missing and not all of the bodies have been found. Plus, karls that haven't been reported missing have turned up in pieces in the mines."
Thor had been upset, and had gone with Volstagg and Fandral to look through the area while Sif had gone to speak with surrounding jarls. The three warrior men had been subdued afterward and met with Odin. Sif had returned with no news.
"Though none would truly complain about missing karls," Volstagg admitted heavily. "They are many, and few jarls would come forward requesting help in locating them. It would be assumed that they ran off to other estates, that they abandoned their families out of argr."
"So we don't know how many missing nobodies there really are," Tony said, drumming his fingers on the table. Volstagg shook his head in reply. "When was the last census taken?" Blank stares met his question. "What? Nobody keeps count of how many people actually live on Asgard, then?"
"It is not needed," Thor explained, shaking his head. "Each karl pays tribute to the jarl, each jarl pays tribute to Odin. It is our way."
"And that way is about to go the way of the dodo bird," Tony muttered, shaking his head.
Steve sent him a quelling look. "All right. So we don't know how many are actually missing. There could be a lot more karls missing, maybe more jarls missing. We only know whatever the rumor mill talks about." At the nods of the Asgardians, Steve leaned back a bit in his seat. "So we take another tack. Who would benefit from seeing Asgard fall?"
"There are enemies to the realm," Thor began slowly. "But there has been peace throughout the Nine Realms until four of your years ago."
Natasha repressed the urge to look at Loki. Tony didn't bother, and looked at her openly.
"But if someone was waiting in the wings," Steve continued, "this would be a perfect time to swoop in and take advantage. So who might be on that list?"
The Asgardian warriors exchanged uneasy looks. "It seems... disrespectful to the Allfather," Sif said finally. "For so long it has been said that our realm is at peace, that there are no enemies to be had against us."
"Think of this as a mental exercise," Steve said soothingly, reaching out a bit and touching the table in front of her. "A game of what-if. Whoever's on this list isn't necessarily who we're looking for, but it can give us a place to start planning from to prepare."
"Unlike Midgard, yours is a warrior culture," Clint said, breaking his brooding silence. "Your people can fight back against an attack. They'd know what to do. That would minimize any casualties this enemy might cause."
"Do we list creatures of myth, then?" Sif asked. "Stories told to children of ancient enemies long vanquished? Such were thought to be true of Jotunheim before some of them found their way into the palace four years ago."
"There's a grain of truth in every myth," Steve replied. "It's our job to find that grain."
"In the beginning of time was the Unbeing, he who waited for Ragnarok to begin. He fed on the energies of destruction and chaos. There is Malekith, ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, bent on plunging the entire universe into eternal darkness. Surtur is leader of the fire demons from Muspelheim, bound to an asteroid by Odin long ago. It is said that forging his sword Twilight will begin Ragnarok. The sword is magic, capable of manipulating vast amounts of mystical energy, able to shatter dimensional barriers." Fandral listed these beings in a very precise, matter of fact manner.
"Those are all tales," Thor said heavily. "Svartalfheim is a mostly desolate place, with nothing alive still there. My grandfather had obliterated the Dark Elves that intended to do such harm, destroyed their weapons. The entire militant portion of their race was annihilated, the land devastated. Even now, that area is lifeless. Malekith himself is dead, and the remainder of the Dark Elves is ruled by Queen Alflyse of the Eastern Spires. Whatever is not blasted and dead is largely wooded lands with some villages. They may have portals, but they do not seek conquest of other worlds."
"Okay, so it's probably not him. What about the other ones?" Steve asked.
"Or are there other possibilities? Three mythological enemies for all of Asgard? Doesn't seem right somehow. Asgard is the peacekeeper among the Nine Realms, you've said. Most big, bad guys don't like the peacekeepers. So there's bound to be more realistic enemies you've forgotten to mention," Clint said.
"Jotunheim is all but destroyed," Fandral said quietly. "Much of its people were slaughtered without mercy and without notice. They could not fight back. Any remainders of their people are far below ground, and would not be behind this."
"And they do not possess magic of any sort," Volstagg added.
"Muspelheim has not had any dealings with Asgard in millennia. It is indeed a land of fire and demonic beings, but they keep to themselves much of the time. Surtur is a story told to frighten children," Thor said, shaking his head. "No, I doubt they would be behind these foul deeds."
"Helheim is its own, and has no quarrel with any other realm. Midgard, of course, would do no such thing. Vanaheim is a close ally to Asgard," Sif added, ticking off a few more of the Nine Realms from the list they were compiling.
"Alfheim is at the top of Yggdrasil, a land of light and ice. Its people are peaceful, happy beings, uninterested in the tidings of war or battle," Thor said, leaning back in his seat. He dropped his hand on top of Jane's and smiled at her fondly. "They seek knowledge and learning, and would not cause harm to others."
"The dwarves that live in Nidavellir are allies to Asgard. It is they who craft our famed weapons, using the heat and flames of their very realm to light their forges." Volstagg shook his head. "They would not harm us either."
"Niffleheim is the lowest and coldest of all realms, the realm of darkness and death." Fandral shrugged. "Corpses reside there, especially those of the dishonored dead, and it is a land of mist beneath the roots of Yggdrasil. Helheim is close by, though the dead there are not honored or dishonored. That is the realm ruled by the Lady Hel."
"And just to confuse matters, Niffleheim is sometimes referred to as Hel," Sif added.
"So wait, where do the honored dead go? Is Valhalla real?" Jane asked, curious.
"Of a sort. It is distinct from Asgard, but closely connected to our world," Thor told her, fondness evident as he looked at her.
"You seek the work of Thanos," Loki said in a harsh whisper, still grasping her thighs in a white-knuckled grip. "The Other is an intermediary, an emissary of sorts from the Chitauri as they sought to curry his favor."
All eyes were on Loki now, her pale features etched with tension. "How do you know of these things, Lara?" Volstagg asked quietly. Fandral had a thoughtful expression on his face, almost tinged with pity; Natasha was sure that he was associating this now with the "bad event" that she had said Lara went through.
"They have neural networks," Loki continued as if Volstagg hadn't spoken. "Not all of them are linked, but the front line warriors are. That way generals know what's going on and can send in more if needed. Front line warriors are expendable. Cannon fodder, if you will. They're meant to die, meant to have their opponents expend energy and assets. Then when they are exhausted, further troops are sent in." She looked at those seated at the table with a pained expression. "They don't care if they die, if others die. They know they are expendable. Death is the final solution, the better answer. Death is what they want."
"So they're coming here now?" Clint asked, staring at Loki intently. Her eyes shifted away from his uncomfortably, though Natasha didn't think it was out of guilt.
"Impossible. My father would have known of such a threat," Thor said, shaking his head. "Such creatures would not have escaped his notice. Their ships and their beasts stand out."
"But Asgard is one of the higher realms, everyone keeps telling me," Natasha said slowly. Her eyes were on Loki, a slight furrow between her brows. It was fear driving Loki now. It wasn't guilt, she hadn't brought Asgard to the Chitauri notice, and this was something that had been a long time in the planning. "If the attack on Midgard failed when it should have been taken over without a hitch, who would the Chitauri or Thanos believe is responsible?"
Steve and Clint nodded immediately, catching onto her meaning. "We're mortal. Even with Tony in his suit putting the bomb through the portal," Steve said earnestly, "none of us ever pretended to be more than mortals doing what needed to be done."
"But you're not mortal," Clint said, looking at Thor. "And if that neural network means that the generals saw what the foot soldiers saw, then they saw you. They'd write off the rest of us and focus on your contribution."
"But you are mighty warriors in your own realm," Thor protested, clearly not wanting to belittle their efforts in the Battle of New York.
"Obviously. But the Chitauri don't know that," Clint said with a wave of his hand.
"So if they believe that you're the brains of the operation, then Midgard is protected by Asgard," Steve said, gesturing toward Thor and his fellow warriors. "You're the threat. You're the one they have to be concerned about."
"And if they can't take you out directly, they need to undermine all of you. They'll need to take you down from the inside out," Natasha said quietly. She could tell by Sif's widening eyes that she understood immediately. "They can afford to be slow. You live for thousands of years, and probably they do, too. If they move under the radar, they can do a lot of damage before you even know they're there."
Thor looked distinctly ill. "The randomness of the deaths thus far..."
"Could be random. Maybe it's not. But either way, they do a lot of damage to the infrastructure and the faith that the people have in the ruling class." Natasha leaned her elbow on the table and propped up her chin in her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It's happened in human history frequently enough. When the people can't trust their government, when they have no faith in the system protecting them, it leads to utter chaos."
"Meaning?" Volstagg asked.
"It would give the Chitauri free rein to kill whoever they wished. If that's their plan..."
"What would stop them from doing the same to other realms once Asgard was out of the way?" Fandral asked quietly. "They could try to retake Midgard. And the peaceful realms would offer them no resistance at all."
"And death is what they want," Bruce said quietly, looking up from the SHIELD analyses he had been poring through next to Jane. "So they won't take prisoners, they won't negotiate. Just like in New York, they would go in for the kill."
"Then maybe, rather than simply asking Frigga's help in tracking down portals and seidr use," Natasha began slowly, "we should ask her help in speaking to Hel." All of the Asgardians stared at her incredulously.
"You cannot bargain with Death," Thor began.
"She likes me," Natasha said with a shrug. "And I'm not proposing a bargain."
"What are you proposing?" Loki asked, voice slightly tremulous.
"Talking. That's it. A visit, getting as much information as she's willing to give me, maybe confirming that the missing jarls are dead."
"That's... not exactly a stable plan," Clint protested.
"You have a better one for right now?"
"Hunt down the Chitauri home world," he replied promptly.
"Then the rest of you can start on that. Think of this as me doing further recon."
"Tash..." Steve began, uncertainty in his tone.
"I'm serious. She talked to me before, and she's sought me out. She won't hurt me."
Thor nodded. "This is true. And if you travel from here, you will not have need for my mother's herbs. She could possibly open a portal to Helheim."
Clint scrubbed his face as Tony let out a low whistle. "The Black Widow going to see Lady Death," he said, shaking his head. "It's either a really beautiful friendship with all kinds of weird overtones or the start of a really fucked up porno."
Natasha very calmly reached over and smacked the back of Tony's head while everyone else groaned. "Keep your mouth shut on this realm, okay? You're not the one with diplomatic immunity," she told him.
Bruce managed to cover his snickers with a cough. Jane didn't even bother. She leaned into Thor's side with her excited grin in place. "So. While she's off talking with the personification of death, the others are investigating, Bruce and I will start going over the quantum physics of interstellar travel and wave harmonics. I definitely want to talk with Heimdall, and get his take on the Bifrost and how he chooses destinations. And who else would it be good to meet with? I know you call it magic here, but-"
"Jane!" Bruce said, getting her attention. "One part of the problem at a time. How about we stow our stuff and find a place we could use as a lab?"
Graciously, Thor rose to his feet as Jane nodded enthusiastically. "I will find you the appropriate place for your studies. We have a large library, with many scrolls and books that might be of service to your cause. I'll tell the palace historian to answer any questions you have. I'm not well versed in all the stories she would know."
Jane practically glowed and bounced the entire way, clutching thick folders of data provided by SHIELD to her chest. Bruce followed them, and with some encouragement, Tony did as well. Volstagg and Fandral knew where Steve and Clint would be staying, which left Sif with Natasha and Loki. She leveled a hard look at Loki for a long moment. "I would not recommend you accompany them to Helheim."
"No, I wouldn't go. I'm not wanted there, anyway," Loki told her honestly. There was a faint tremor in her hands that she couldn't quite hide. "I'd only get in the way of what you would want to know, Natasha."
Rising to her feet, Natasha couldn't help but feel as though Loki was too vulnerable just then, too afraid to be left alone. "I don't have to go right now."
"It's what's best," Loki murmured, sliding off of her high stool near the door and landing on her feet. "You do what you have to do, as you always have."
Suppressing the urge to sigh or roll her eyes, Natasha merely nodded crisply. If this was Loki being theatrical, she wasn't about to feed into it. She would simply take her to task for it later; she didn't need any fancy tools to punish her, after all. A belt and the straight back of her hairbrush would be enough to start with. Apparently, she had been too indulgent, and Loki was getting emotionally greedy. While that certainly meant that Midgard would forever be safe from her plotting, that also meant that Natasha would never get a moment's peace.
She still wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"I'll confer with you later, then. Want me to escort you back?"
Loki's gaze slid from Natasha to Sif, and she shook her head. "You'll need to speak with the Queen, then with Hel. You'll be safe with them."
Sif looked intently at Loki, lips pressed together. "Perhaps there are more than just superficial differences. The one I had known even a short time ago would have had foul trickery to perform, ill deeds that would ultimately cause harm to the House of Odin."
The bleak expression on Loki's face gave Sif pause. "Sometimes things happened that weren't planned for. But there would be incredible loss of face to admit such a thing, and then it all spirals out of control. I doubt there can be balance achieved for that."
There was really no answer to that, so Loki went off in one direction while Sif and Natasha went to see Frigga. The Queen looked at Natasha uncertainly, despite Sif's assurances that Natasha came with good intentions. Natasha was sure it was the memory of her frequent statements that she would kill Loki. Frigga didn't go to Helheim despite having the means to do so, and seemed to have no intention of ever seeing Hel. That made Natasha wonder what Thor had said in order to get Frigga's help before. Natasha remained silent as Sif spoke, thinking that she would get farther with the Queen. Frigga stared at Natasha for a long moment afterward, taking in her silence. "And what say you?"
"Hel won't harm me, and I'm not there to do more than speak with her and perhaps some of her dead if she'll allow it." Natasha remained controlled, her tone matter-of-fact and expression neutral. She was growing somewhat irritated with her and how Asgard ran. Perhaps they could afford to be so stagnant, if their expected lifespan was five or six thousand years. Humans were shorter lived, and couldn't afford to take such a long view. They literally had to adapt quickly or die out.
That stoic expression must have convinced Frigga, who nodded and beckoned them to follow her into her study. This was her private area, and few were ever invited into it. Even Natasha hadn't been invited into this room before. The room reminded her of Loki's hideaway on Yggdrasil. It was a comfortable place filled with scrolls, books, objects that very nearly pulsed with power and a massive desk with runes inscribed in its sides that looked as though it doubled as a workbench. Whatever seidr or spá she worked was done here in secret.
A silver circle had been worked into the marble floor, and Frigga gestured for Sif and Natasha to go into it. "Do you think I'm truly necessary for this task?" Sif asked Natasha.
"Only to provide assurance I don't plan to annihilate any realm," Natasha replied dryly.
There was only a slight hitch in Frigga's breathing, a twitch in her hand holding the athame. She smoothed her features when facing the two women. "Good to hear," she said brightly, though there was visible strain around her eyes.
"And individuals are safe, too. This is strictly an information gathering exercise."
That eased Frigga's tension further, but she wasn't as open as when she first spoke with Natasha on earth. She had that effect on most people, to be honest.
The ritual to open the portal was as fragrant and difficult to pronounce as Natasha remembered. They were not as far away from Hel's castle as Natasha had been, perhaps because Frigga could target their arrival more precisely. "I suppose this is easier than simply contacting Heimdall," Natasha said as they walked.
Sif shook her head. "If my brother transported us, we would arrive body and soul, and our souls would then be immediately ripped from our bodies. This is the land of the dead."
"Ah. Yes. Best to go via Frigga's portal, then."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Sif looking around curiously. Natasha remained focused on the task at hand, taking the lead as they went. Hel was seated upon her throne, chill fires burning in braziers on either side of her. dressed in spun spider silk shot with shadow, she watched the two living women approach.
"Welcome, Lady Sif Orinsdottir and Natalia Alianova Romanova."
Sif gave Hel a formal bow and nod, so Natasha followed suit. Before she could speak, Natasha stepped forward. "Lady Hel, I've come to speak about the jarls going missing from Asgard."
"What about them?"
"Are some of them here? Could I speak to them?"
"To what end?"
"To know how they died, if they did."
"You don't bargain for their lives?" Hel asked, amusement in her tone.
"They're not mine to bargain for."
Hel laughed, not entirely unkindly. "No, they are not. Those souls were reverently given to me as a gift. You may not have them."
"But could I talk to them?" Natasha asked.
Sif looked around the room uncertainly, especially as the room darkened precipitously. "Natasha, is this wise?" she asked.
Hel laughed again. "Frightened, warrior? It's only the dead entering the hall."
Shades slid into the room, lining up without explicit direction. Natasha could see the difference in dress, and let her eyes skip over the karls. As much as it pained her to see how many were dead, and some evidence of how they died in the splashes of blood still present on their ghostly clothing, they wouldn't have been paying attention to details of who killed them. It was those details that Natasha wanted, and the jarls would more likely have paid attention, if only because of their righteous indignation.
Separating them out, Natasha quietly asked about the manner and way that they died. While the jarls were killed by different karls, some of which were also lined up in that hall, there was a common feature that quickly was revealed: their eyes were unnaturally blue, almost as if they were glowing. Engmarr actually saw shadows shift to reveal a gray-skinned creature with ragged yellow teeth, dingy-colored metal armor and a shining scepter with a glowing blue stone that matched the karls' blue eyes.
"The Chitauri were definitely involved, then," Natasha murmured. "Did that shadowy creature say anything?"
"It wanted me dead, and with the most pain," Engmarr told her. He started laughing, a shrill, erratic sound that Natasha associated with madness. "Pain is delicious, sweet and wonderful, a song gifted to their master, so he can collect it as tribute to his love."
"His love?" Natasha echoed.
"They worship and idolize death, of course."
Sif drew in a sharp breath at Engmarr's words. "And we are in the land of Death."
She and Natasha faced Hel, who merely smiled serenely. "Yes, we are."
"And now it's time for you to return to the land of the living," Hel told them, her voice carrying the grating sound of bone on bone. "You've learned what you needed to."
Natasha stood straight and tall, meeting Hel's eyes dead on. "I think we have, Lady Hel."
Without another word, Hel sent them back to Asgard.
***
***
To Chapter Two - What The Dead Know
Series: #12 in Ready For The Siege
(#1 - Look Over Your Shoulder, #2 - Armed Up To The Teeth, #3 - Misery Inspires, #4 - Broken Underneath, #5 - Change Is Coming Soon, #6 - Lick Your Wounds, #7 - Bitter Sparks, #8 - Father's Will, #9 - To Feel Safe Again, #10 - Hit Your Prime, #11 - Open Your Eyes)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: R
Pairing: Loki/Natasha
Disclaimer: Not mine! Some comic backstory is incorporated into characterizations, but this is still primarily movieverse.
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-movie. Read the other stories before this one, because it does refer back to events in them. Additional warning for misogyny (internalized and society-driven) and references to torture.
Title and series title from "The Royal We" by Silversun Pickups
Special thanks to phoenixrising06/
romanovasledger for plotting and characterization discussion. :)
Summary: Rather than wait for a full scale attack to reach Asgard, they decide to make the first strike themselves.
One - Fall From Grace
Even Odin couldn't explain away the Chitauri energy staff, and reluctantly allowed Natasha to call in whoever she felt would be appropriate to help combat the silent invasion. He insisted on keeping her "appropriate help" as minimized as possible, however. Tony was awed by the appearance of the Observatory, actually remaining silent. Bruce seemed vaguely uncomfortable by the travel, not quite nauseous. Steve took in everything and gave Heimdall a friendly smile that was returned with a grave and respectful nod. Clint gaped a bit, then apparently pulled himself together and tried to look nonchalant. Jane had come along for the ride, and she grinned madly at the sight of the Observatory. "This looks fantastic!" she cried, bright eyes gleaming. "Can we do that again?"
Heimdall actually smiled at her. "Should you need to return to Midgard, simply ask."
The group was installed within the palace, not far from Natasha's suite. Bruce and Jane had been given copies of all Chitauri research done by SHIELD R&D, though Fury hadn't wanted to send along originals or any members of their science division. Jane probably volunteered to go in their place anyway; it was a great way to get further information for her Einstein-Rosen Bridge studies, as well as see Thor again. Natasha couldn't blame her for that.
Thor brought them all to a meeting room closer to his own suite. As soon as Sif, Fandral and Volstagg arrived, Loki surreptitiously cast a silencing spell over the entire room, and took a seat closest to the door. Natasha brought the map and reported all that she had seen and heard so far, as well as what she thought might be happening on Asgard. "Then it is treachery we must suspect," Sif said finally, her gaze falling onto Loki.
"Not from that quarter, no," Natasha corrected, seeing her line of sight.
"We never did get a good enough story of how the Chitauri decided to come to Earth," Bruce said, drumming his fingers on the table. "Just that they were the army meant to subjugate it."
Now nearly everyone's eyes were on Loki. Her gaze was stubbornly fixed on the wall behind them all, though a few of them noticed how she gripped her leg so hard her knuckles were white.
"Why are you staring at Lara?" Volstagg asked. "Is she not Midgardian as well?" Fandral and Thor frowned, also not understanding the significance.
"Not exactly," Clint said before Natasha could say anything. "Let's just put it this way... I remember some vague bits about the possession I was under before the Battle of New York." It was obvious he didn't want to be discussing it, but was willing to put aside his own comfort for the greater good. "Someone was pulling Loki's strings, as much as he was pulling mine. At times he looked sick and uncomfortable, in trances and looking afraid. I think Midgard was just a realm that got thrown under the bus to save his hide."
Loki dug her nails into her thigh even harder, her breathing becoming shallow. Natasha, Steve and Clint frowned at her, but Tony simply gave her a dubious look. Bruce let out a sigh. The others in the room didn't know that Loki was female now, and let the comments go, looking away from Loki at the door.
"So we're looking at someone bigger than the Chitauri, winding them up and watching them go on their merry way," Jane said.
Natasha saw how Loki tensed, and shifted in her seat slightly to make sure she had the others' attention. "I know you're working on your bridge with Bruce," she said to Jane. "Is there a way to track its energy signatures here? There are more magic items and enchanted things in this realm than on Earth. We'd have to isolate whatever signal the Chitauri are using."
Sif was still eyeing Loki strangely, as if contemplating what she was actually seeing. "What you speak of as energy signatures we do call magic. There are those with seidr. The Queen is most gifted, and may be persuaded to help with this task as well."
"Would you be able to do that?" Natasha asked. At Sif's querying expression, Natasha shrugged negligently. "She may not be willing to help if I ask her. I may have said some things she didn't really want to hear."
"Ah." Sif flashed her a smile. "You have a way of upsetting the natural order of things around here, Natasha."
"Sounds like a story or two I want to hear," Tony said, sounding interested for the first time. He looked up from the SHIELD reports. "There are salacious stories, aren't there? You're an Ambassador and living with royalty, so there has to be something. Come on, you can tell me. I love salacious stories."
Volstagg glowered at Tony. "Do not disparage the House of Odin, friend Stark. It's not becoming for one tasked with helping to save it from Outsiders."
Natasha caught Loki's reflexive twitch and wondered what exactly was setting her off. "In any case," she began, giving Tony an unamused glare, "that would take care of the seidr aspect of trying to track them. There isn't any consistent threat between the jarls that are missing and not all of the bodies have been found. Plus, karls that haven't been reported missing have turned up in pieces in the mines."
Thor had been upset, and had gone with Volstagg and Fandral to look through the area while Sif had gone to speak with surrounding jarls. The three warrior men had been subdued afterward and met with Odin. Sif had returned with no news.
"Though none would truly complain about missing karls," Volstagg admitted heavily. "They are many, and few jarls would come forward requesting help in locating them. It would be assumed that they ran off to other estates, that they abandoned their families out of argr."
"So we don't know how many missing nobodies there really are," Tony said, drumming his fingers on the table. Volstagg shook his head in reply. "When was the last census taken?" Blank stares met his question. "What? Nobody keeps count of how many people actually live on Asgard, then?"
"It is not needed," Thor explained, shaking his head. "Each karl pays tribute to the jarl, each jarl pays tribute to Odin. It is our way."
"And that way is about to go the way of the dodo bird," Tony muttered, shaking his head.
Steve sent him a quelling look. "All right. So we don't know how many are actually missing. There could be a lot more karls missing, maybe more jarls missing. We only know whatever the rumor mill talks about." At the nods of the Asgardians, Steve leaned back a bit in his seat. "So we take another tack. Who would benefit from seeing Asgard fall?"
"There are enemies to the realm," Thor began slowly. "But there has been peace throughout the Nine Realms until four of your years ago."
Natasha repressed the urge to look at Loki. Tony didn't bother, and looked at her openly.
"But if someone was waiting in the wings," Steve continued, "this would be a perfect time to swoop in and take advantage. So who might be on that list?"
The Asgardian warriors exchanged uneasy looks. "It seems... disrespectful to the Allfather," Sif said finally. "For so long it has been said that our realm is at peace, that there are no enemies to be had against us."
"Think of this as a mental exercise," Steve said soothingly, reaching out a bit and touching the table in front of her. "A game of what-if. Whoever's on this list isn't necessarily who we're looking for, but it can give us a place to start planning from to prepare."
"Unlike Midgard, yours is a warrior culture," Clint said, breaking his brooding silence. "Your people can fight back against an attack. They'd know what to do. That would minimize any casualties this enemy might cause."
"Do we list creatures of myth, then?" Sif asked. "Stories told to children of ancient enemies long vanquished? Such were thought to be true of Jotunheim before some of them found their way into the palace four years ago."
"There's a grain of truth in every myth," Steve replied. "It's our job to find that grain."
"In the beginning of time was the Unbeing, he who waited for Ragnarok to begin. He fed on the energies of destruction and chaos. There is Malekith, ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, bent on plunging the entire universe into eternal darkness. Surtur is leader of the fire demons from Muspelheim, bound to an asteroid by Odin long ago. It is said that forging his sword Twilight will begin Ragnarok. The sword is magic, capable of manipulating vast amounts of mystical energy, able to shatter dimensional barriers." Fandral listed these beings in a very precise, matter of fact manner.
"Those are all tales," Thor said heavily. "Svartalfheim is a mostly desolate place, with nothing alive still there. My grandfather had obliterated the Dark Elves that intended to do such harm, destroyed their weapons. The entire militant portion of their race was annihilated, the land devastated. Even now, that area is lifeless. Malekith himself is dead, and the remainder of the Dark Elves is ruled by Queen Alflyse of the Eastern Spires. Whatever is not blasted and dead is largely wooded lands with some villages. They may have portals, but they do not seek conquest of other worlds."
"Okay, so it's probably not him. What about the other ones?" Steve asked.
"Or are there other possibilities? Three mythological enemies for all of Asgard? Doesn't seem right somehow. Asgard is the peacekeeper among the Nine Realms, you've said. Most big, bad guys don't like the peacekeepers. So there's bound to be more realistic enemies you've forgotten to mention," Clint said.
"Jotunheim is all but destroyed," Fandral said quietly. "Much of its people were slaughtered without mercy and without notice. They could not fight back. Any remainders of their people are far below ground, and would not be behind this."
"And they do not possess magic of any sort," Volstagg added.
"Muspelheim has not had any dealings with Asgard in millennia. It is indeed a land of fire and demonic beings, but they keep to themselves much of the time. Surtur is a story told to frighten children," Thor said, shaking his head. "No, I doubt they would be behind these foul deeds."
"Helheim is its own, and has no quarrel with any other realm. Midgard, of course, would do no such thing. Vanaheim is a close ally to Asgard," Sif added, ticking off a few more of the Nine Realms from the list they were compiling.
"Alfheim is at the top of Yggdrasil, a land of light and ice. Its people are peaceful, happy beings, uninterested in the tidings of war or battle," Thor said, leaning back in his seat. He dropped his hand on top of Jane's and smiled at her fondly. "They seek knowledge and learning, and would not cause harm to others."
"The dwarves that live in Nidavellir are allies to Asgard. It is they who craft our famed weapons, using the heat and flames of their very realm to light their forges." Volstagg shook his head. "They would not harm us either."
"Niffleheim is the lowest and coldest of all realms, the realm of darkness and death." Fandral shrugged. "Corpses reside there, especially those of the dishonored dead, and it is a land of mist beneath the roots of Yggdrasil. Helheim is close by, though the dead there are not honored or dishonored. That is the realm ruled by the Lady Hel."
"And just to confuse matters, Niffleheim is sometimes referred to as Hel," Sif added.
"So wait, where do the honored dead go? Is Valhalla real?" Jane asked, curious.
"Of a sort. It is distinct from Asgard, but closely connected to our world," Thor told her, fondness evident as he looked at her.
"You seek the work of Thanos," Loki said in a harsh whisper, still grasping her thighs in a white-knuckled grip. "The Other is an intermediary, an emissary of sorts from the Chitauri as they sought to curry his favor."
All eyes were on Loki now, her pale features etched with tension. "How do you know of these things, Lara?" Volstagg asked quietly. Fandral had a thoughtful expression on his face, almost tinged with pity; Natasha was sure that he was associating this now with the "bad event" that she had said Lara went through.
"They have neural networks," Loki continued as if Volstagg hadn't spoken. "Not all of them are linked, but the front line warriors are. That way generals know what's going on and can send in more if needed. Front line warriors are expendable. Cannon fodder, if you will. They're meant to die, meant to have their opponents expend energy and assets. Then when they are exhausted, further troops are sent in." She looked at those seated at the table with a pained expression. "They don't care if they die, if others die. They know they are expendable. Death is the final solution, the better answer. Death is what they want."
"So they're coming here now?" Clint asked, staring at Loki intently. Her eyes shifted away from his uncomfortably, though Natasha didn't think it was out of guilt.
"Impossible. My father would have known of such a threat," Thor said, shaking his head. "Such creatures would not have escaped his notice. Their ships and their beasts stand out."
"But Asgard is one of the higher realms, everyone keeps telling me," Natasha said slowly. Her eyes were on Loki, a slight furrow between her brows. It was fear driving Loki now. It wasn't guilt, she hadn't brought Asgard to the Chitauri notice, and this was something that had been a long time in the planning. "If the attack on Midgard failed when it should have been taken over without a hitch, who would the Chitauri or Thanos believe is responsible?"
Steve and Clint nodded immediately, catching onto her meaning. "We're mortal. Even with Tony in his suit putting the bomb through the portal," Steve said earnestly, "none of us ever pretended to be more than mortals doing what needed to be done."
"But you're not mortal," Clint said, looking at Thor. "And if that neural network means that the generals saw what the foot soldiers saw, then they saw you. They'd write off the rest of us and focus on your contribution."
"But you are mighty warriors in your own realm," Thor protested, clearly not wanting to belittle their efforts in the Battle of New York.
"Obviously. But the Chitauri don't know that," Clint said with a wave of his hand.
"So if they believe that you're the brains of the operation, then Midgard is protected by Asgard," Steve said, gesturing toward Thor and his fellow warriors. "You're the threat. You're the one they have to be concerned about."
"And if they can't take you out directly, they need to undermine all of you. They'll need to take you down from the inside out," Natasha said quietly. She could tell by Sif's widening eyes that she understood immediately. "They can afford to be slow. You live for thousands of years, and probably they do, too. If they move under the radar, they can do a lot of damage before you even know they're there."
Thor looked distinctly ill. "The randomness of the deaths thus far..."
"Could be random. Maybe it's not. But either way, they do a lot of damage to the infrastructure and the faith that the people have in the ruling class." Natasha leaned her elbow on the table and propped up her chin in her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It's happened in human history frequently enough. When the people can't trust their government, when they have no faith in the system protecting them, it leads to utter chaos."
"Meaning?" Volstagg asked.
"It would give the Chitauri free rein to kill whoever they wished. If that's their plan..."
"What would stop them from doing the same to other realms once Asgard was out of the way?" Fandral asked quietly. "They could try to retake Midgard. And the peaceful realms would offer them no resistance at all."
"And death is what they want," Bruce said quietly, looking up from the SHIELD analyses he had been poring through next to Jane. "So they won't take prisoners, they won't negotiate. Just like in New York, they would go in for the kill."
"Then maybe, rather than simply asking Frigga's help in tracking down portals and seidr use," Natasha began slowly, "we should ask her help in speaking to Hel." All of the Asgardians stared at her incredulously.
"You cannot bargain with Death," Thor began.
"She likes me," Natasha said with a shrug. "And I'm not proposing a bargain."
"What are you proposing?" Loki asked, voice slightly tremulous.
"Talking. That's it. A visit, getting as much information as she's willing to give me, maybe confirming that the missing jarls are dead."
"That's... not exactly a stable plan," Clint protested.
"You have a better one for right now?"
"Hunt down the Chitauri home world," he replied promptly.
"Then the rest of you can start on that. Think of this as me doing further recon."
"Tash..." Steve began, uncertainty in his tone.
"I'm serious. She talked to me before, and she's sought me out. She won't hurt me."
Thor nodded. "This is true. And if you travel from here, you will not have need for my mother's herbs. She could possibly open a portal to Helheim."
Clint scrubbed his face as Tony let out a low whistle. "The Black Widow going to see Lady Death," he said, shaking his head. "It's either a really beautiful friendship with all kinds of weird overtones or the start of a really fucked up porno."
Natasha very calmly reached over and smacked the back of Tony's head while everyone else groaned. "Keep your mouth shut on this realm, okay? You're not the one with diplomatic immunity," she told him.
Bruce managed to cover his snickers with a cough. Jane didn't even bother. She leaned into Thor's side with her excited grin in place. "So. While she's off talking with the personification of death, the others are investigating, Bruce and I will start going over the quantum physics of interstellar travel and wave harmonics. I definitely want to talk with Heimdall, and get his take on the Bifrost and how he chooses destinations. And who else would it be good to meet with? I know you call it magic here, but-"
"Jane!" Bruce said, getting her attention. "One part of the problem at a time. How about we stow our stuff and find a place we could use as a lab?"
Graciously, Thor rose to his feet as Jane nodded enthusiastically. "I will find you the appropriate place for your studies. We have a large library, with many scrolls and books that might be of service to your cause. I'll tell the palace historian to answer any questions you have. I'm not well versed in all the stories she would know."
Jane practically glowed and bounced the entire way, clutching thick folders of data provided by SHIELD to her chest. Bruce followed them, and with some encouragement, Tony did as well. Volstagg and Fandral knew where Steve and Clint would be staying, which left Sif with Natasha and Loki. She leveled a hard look at Loki for a long moment. "I would not recommend you accompany them to Helheim."
"No, I wouldn't go. I'm not wanted there, anyway," Loki told her honestly. There was a faint tremor in her hands that she couldn't quite hide. "I'd only get in the way of what you would want to know, Natasha."
Rising to her feet, Natasha couldn't help but feel as though Loki was too vulnerable just then, too afraid to be left alone. "I don't have to go right now."
"It's what's best," Loki murmured, sliding off of her high stool near the door and landing on her feet. "You do what you have to do, as you always have."
Suppressing the urge to sigh or roll her eyes, Natasha merely nodded crisply. If this was Loki being theatrical, she wasn't about to feed into it. She would simply take her to task for it later; she didn't need any fancy tools to punish her, after all. A belt and the straight back of her hairbrush would be enough to start with. Apparently, she had been too indulgent, and Loki was getting emotionally greedy. While that certainly meant that Midgard would forever be safe from her plotting, that also meant that Natasha would never get a moment's peace.
She still wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"I'll confer with you later, then. Want me to escort you back?"
Loki's gaze slid from Natasha to Sif, and she shook her head. "You'll need to speak with the Queen, then with Hel. You'll be safe with them."
Sif looked intently at Loki, lips pressed together. "Perhaps there are more than just superficial differences. The one I had known even a short time ago would have had foul trickery to perform, ill deeds that would ultimately cause harm to the House of Odin."
The bleak expression on Loki's face gave Sif pause. "Sometimes things happened that weren't planned for. But there would be incredible loss of face to admit such a thing, and then it all spirals out of control. I doubt there can be balance achieved for that."
There was really no answer to that, so Loki went off in one direction while Sif and Natasha went to see Frigga. The Queen looked at Natasha uncertainly, despite Sif's assurances that Natasha came with good intentions. Natasha was sure it was the memory of her frequent statements that she would kill Loki. Frigga didn't go to Helheim despite having the means to do so, and seemed to have no intention of ever seeing Hel. That made Natasha wonder what Thor had said in order to get Frigga's help before. Natasha remained silent as Sif spoke, thinking that she would get farther with the Queen. Frigga stared at Natasha for a long moment afterward, taking in her silence. "And what say you?"
"Hel won't harm me, and I'm not there to do more than speak with her and perhaps some of her dead if she'll allow it." Natasha remained controlled, her tone matter-of-fact and expression neutral. She was growing somewhat irritated with her and how Asgard ran. Perhaps they could afford to be so stagnant, if their expected lifespan was five or six thousand years. Humans were shorter lived, and couldn't afford to take such a long view. They literally had to adapt quickly or die out.
That stoic expression must have convinced Frigga, who nodded and beckoned them to follow her into her study. This was her private area, and few were ever invited into it. Even Natasha hadn't been invited into this room before. The room reminded her of Loki's hideaway on Yggdrasil. It was a comfortable place filled with scrolls, books, objects that very nearly pulsed with power and a massive desk with runes inscribed in its sides that looked as though it doubled as a workbench. Whatever seidr or spá she worked was done here in secret.
A silver circle had been worked into the marble floor, and Frigga gestured for Sif and Natasha to go into it. "Do you think I'm truly necessary for this task?" Sif asked Natasha.
"Only to provide assurance I don't plan to annihilate any realm," Natasha replied dryly.
There was only a slight hitch in Frigga's breathing, a twitch in her hand holding the athame. She smoothed her features when facing the two women. "Good to hear," she said brightly, though there was visible strain around her eyes.
"And individuals are safe, too. This is strictly an information gathering exercise."
That eased Frigga's tension further, but she wasn't as open as when she first spoke with Natasha on earth. She had that effect on most people, to be honest.
The ritual to open the portal was as fragrant and difficult to pronounce as Natasha remembered. They were not as far away from Hel's castle as Natasha had been, perhaps because Frigga could target their arrival more precisely. "I suppose this is easier than simply contacting Heimdall," Natasha said as they walked.
Sif shook her head. "If my brother transported us, we would arrive body and soul, and our souls would then be immediately ripped from our bodies. This is the land of the dead."
"Ah. Yes. Best to go via Frigga's portal, then."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Sif looking around curiously. Natasha remained focused on the task at hand, taking the lead as they went. Hel was seated upon her throne, chill fires burning in braziers on either side of her. dressed in spun spider silk shot with shadow, she watched the two living women approach.
"Welcome, Lady Sif Orinsdottir and Natalia Alianova Romanova."
Sif gave Hel a formal bow and nod, so Natasha followed suit. Before she could speak, Natasha stepped forward. "Lady Hel, I've come to speak about the jarls going missing from Asgard."
"What about them?"
"Are some of them here? Could I speak to them?"
"To what end?"
"To know how they died, if they did."
"You don't bargain for their lives?" Hel asked, amusement in her tone.
"They're not mine to bargain for."
Hel laughed, not entirely unkindly. "No, they are not. Those souls were reverently given to me as a gift. You may not have them."
"But could I talk to them?" Natasha asked.
Sif looked around the room uncertainly, especially as the room darkened precipitously. "Natasha, is this wise?" she asked.
Hel laughed again. "Frightened, warrior? It's only the dead entering the hall."
Shades slid into the room, lining up without explicit direction. Natasha could see the difference in dress, and let her eyes skip over the karls. As much as it pained her to see how many were dead, and some evidence of how they died in the splashes of blood still present on their ghostly clothing, they wouldn't have been paying attention to details of who killed them. It was those details that Natasha wanted, and the jarls would more likely have paid attention, if only because of their righteous indignation.
Separating them out, Natasha quietly asked about the manner and way that they died. While the jarls were killed by different karls, some of which were also lined up in that hall, there was a common feature that quickly was revealed: their eyes were unnaturally blue, almost as if they were glowing. Engmarr actually saw shadows shift to reveal a gray-skinned creature with ragged yellow teeth, dingy-colored metal armor and a shining scepter with a glowing blue stone that matched the karls' blue eyes.
"The Chitauri were definitely involved, then," Natasha murmured. "Did that shadowy creature say anything?"
"It wanted me dead, and with the most pain," Engmarr told her. He started laughing, a shrill, erratic sound that Natasha associated with madness. "Pain is delicious, sweet and wonderful, a song gifted to their master, so he can collect it as tribute to his love."
"His love?" Natasha echoed.
"They worship and idolize death, of course."
Sif drew in a sharp breath at Engmarr's words. "And we are in the land of Death."
She and Natasha faced Hel, who merely smiled serenely. "Yes, we are."
"And now it's time for you to return to the land of the living," Hel told them, her voice carrying the grating sound of bone on bone. "You've learned what you needed to."
Natasha stood straight and tall, meeting Hel's eyes dead on. "I think we have, Lady Hel."
Without another word, Hel sent them back to Asgard.
***
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To Chapter Two - What The Dead Know